tonight, the breaking news just as we come on. president trump to offer nearly all federal workers buyouts to resign. what they get in return. also breaking, in new york city, the images tonight. the immigration raids. the mystery drones over the northeast, finally an answer tonight.

and 176 passengers racing to escape a burning plane. first tonight, just in, sources telling abc news president trump is expected to offer buyouts to roughly 2 million federal workers. how this would work. also tonight, a federal judge has just blocked the president's freeze on federal assistance funding. the freeze could affect millions of seniors and children across the country. the immigration raids and the images in new york city. what played out in the bronx. and from new york to baltimore to tallahassee. and what aaron katersky has learned tonight. what's coming next. tonight, on the eve of rfk jr.'s confirmation hearing, his cousin and former u.s. ambassador caroline kennedy with a scathing letter, calling rfk jr. a predator. what she claims. and tonight, our reporter asking rfk jr. to respond. the harrowing images coming in. the passengers and crew racing to escape that burning passenger jet just before takeoff. the major headline tonight on those mystery drones over the northeast. the white house and the new explanation tonight.

the video now emerging that show what some believe could be the possible start of that devastating and deadly eaton fire in southern california. the surveillance video appearing to show small sparks coming from power lines. the utility tonight responding. tonight, one of the worst tuberculosis outbreaks in the u.s. in decades. the toll so far. and what we've learned. the powerful cross-country storm moving into the northeast. damaging winds, and already tonight, the images. the collapse of a home under construction outside boston. multiple injuries reported tonight. and four-story scaffolding also coming down in the winds. and tonight, moving the mona lisa? should the famous painting be brought to italy? french president emmanuel macron tonight and his own message on the mona lisa's future. >> announcer: from abc news world headquarters in new york, this is "world news tonight" with david muir. >> david: good evening. it's great to have you with us here on a very busy tuesday

night. we begin tonight with the breaking headline. sources telling abc news president trump is now expected to offer buyouts to nearly all federal workers. more than 2 million americans. so, how would this work, and what's driving this? and it all comes as the white house aimed to put a freeze on billions of dollars in federal aid effective at 5:00 today, but then with minutes to spare a federal judge temporarily blocking the move. that freeze could impact millions of americans, from seniors to school children. questions whether this could affect head start, school lunches, meals on wheels for seniors. we have it all covered tonight, beginning with the plan to offer buyouts to millions of those federal workers. here's our chief white house correspondent mary bruce. >> reporter: tonight, president donald trump continuing his overhaul of the federal government. abc news learning the administration is offering all, well over 2 million federal employees a buyout to resign, as long as they do it by february 6th, just nine days from now. in an email blasted to federal employees tonight, those interested in taking the buyout told to reply with one word -- resign.

the white house tonight saying, "american taxpayers pay for the salaries of federal government employees, and therefore deserve employees working on their behalf who actually show up to work in our wonderful federal buildings, also paid for by taxpayers." the white house saying they would be paid out until september. all of this coming as trump tries to root out federal spending that doesn't align with his priorities. tonight, just minutes before the white house put in place a sweeping freeze on potentially billions of dollars in federal grants and loans, possibly impacting millions of americans, seniors, and children across the country, a federal judge temporarily blocking it. saying, "it seems like the federal government currently doesn't actually know the full scope of the programs that are going to be subject to the pause." the white house today sparking major questions after it announced plans to pause and review funding for federal assistance programs, for everything from free school breakfasts and lunches, head

start for hundreds of thousands of children, and meals on wheels for millions of seniors. >> good afternoon, everybody. >> reporter: the new white house press secretary karoline leavitt, in her first briefing, defending the move, saying it's needed to make sure these programs don't run counter to president trump's agenda. >> what does this pause mean? it means no more funding for illegal dei programs. it means no more funding for the green new scam that has cost american taxpayers tens of billions of dollars. it means no more funding for transgenderism and wokeness across our federal bureaucracy and agencies. >> reporter: the broad directive immediately prompting confusion, even at much bigger programs like medicaid, which provides health insurance for 72 million low-income americans. states reporting the online portals down. medicaid warning of possible payment delays due to executive orders regarding potentially unallowable grant payments. the white house says they expect the portal will be back online shortly, and payments are still being processed and sent.

tonight, the administration is adamant programs that provide direct benefits to americans like medicaid, social security, medicare, and federal food assistance programs will not be impacted. but federal dollars also flow to organizations that pass along benefits to the american people, like meals on wheels. >> what is the president's message to americans out there, many of whom supported him and voted for him, who are concerned that this is going to impact them directly? >> again, direct assistance will not be impacted. >> if it's going to another organization and trickling down? >> direct assistance that is in the hands of the american people will not be impacted. >> reporter: meals on wheels telling abc news "the lack of clarity and uncertainty unfortunately means seniors will panic, not knowing where their next meal will come from." tonight, lawmakers in both parties are accusing the president of overstepping his power, blocking funding that was already allocated by congress. and on this breaking news of these buyouts, the union that represents federal workers is now blasting the move, saying,

"purging the federal government of dedicated career federal employees will have vast, unintended consequences that will cause chaos for the americans who depend on a functioning federal government." david? >> david: all right, mary bruce leading us off tonight. mary, thank you. meantime, the images in new york city today. president trump's sweeping mass deportations. the operation here in new york and the bronx. federal agents joining the nypd there. an alleged venezuelan gang member taken into custody. right there observing the arrest, the newly sworn in homeland security secretary, kristi noem. another operation ending in an arrest in maryland. and near miami police stopping two vans. 26 suspected undocumented chinese migrants believed to be inside. tonight what our team has learned about what's coming next. here's our senior investigative correspondent aaron katersky. >> reporter: tonight, the trump administration's vow to carry out the largest deportation in u.s. history expanding to the nation's largest city. federal agents marching into this apartment in the bronx, leading a suspect out to a waiting car. lights flashing. newly sworn in secretary of homeland security kristi noem on the scene, posting video of the operation online and this message.

>> here in new york city this morning, we are getting the dirt bags off these streets. >> reporter: one of the targets, this man, anderson zambrano pacheco, a 25-year-old purported venezuelan gang member wanted in connection with an armed home invasion and kidnapping in aurora, colorado. immigration and customs enforcement says agents have made more than 1,000 arrests in the past 24 hours. in baltimore, i.c.e. apprehending 12 people, knocking on doors and leading detainees to cars. in tallahassee, 12 people believed to be in the country illegally handcuffed and detained by homeland security and state troopers. and near miami, 13 chinese migrants were apprehended, patted down, and arrested. white house deputy chief of staff stephen miller tonight saying the goal is to arrest at least 1,875 people every day. authorities insist they're zeroing in on violent criminals, but the d.e.a. special agent who helped oversee the new york operation today telling me other undocumented immigrants will likely be swept up in these efforts. >> the d.e.a. has prioritized its most violent criminal illegal aliens in our

investigations. those that are responsible for the violence and the drug trafficking in our communities are the ones that we're going after. >> reporter: and if others get swept up in an operation? that's okay, that's acceptable? >> i think that is very likely to happen. >> reporter: the trump administration's making a big public show of these arrests, publicizing the daily numbers, but they've not said what percentage of those arrested have committed violent crimes. their own data indicates just over half of those arrested have a violent criminal history. abc's mary bruce pressing the white house. >> how many have a criminal record versus those who are just in the country illegally? >> all of them. because they illegally broke our nation's laws and they are criminals as far as this administration goes. >> reporter: this is the scene in the bronx of this morning's big arrest, one of about three dozen, david, around the city. and as you saw immigration officials do not want to be shy. they want to make a splash with these enforcement operations, and we're told that the plan is for i.c.e. to hit three major cities each week. david? >> david: aaron katersky in the bronx tonight.

thank you, aaron. tonight, caroline kennedy, jfk's daughter and former u.s. ambassador, and her blistering letter about her cousin robert f. kennedy jr. on the eve of his confirmation hearing to be the next secretary of health and human services. caroline kennedy with a warning tonight for senators, calling rfk jr. a predator. tonight, rachel scott asking rfk jr. if he has a response. >> reporter: tonight, in a scathing letter, caroline kennedy, daughter of president john f. kennedy and former u.s. ambassador, urging the senate to reject her cousin robert kennedy jr. as the next secretary of health and human services. calling him a predator. >> i've known bobby my whole life, we grew up together. it's no surprise that he keeps birds of prey as pets, because bobby himself is a predator. >> reporter: caroline kennedy calls her cousin unqualified, with dangerous and misinformed views on vaccines, but says his personal qualities pose even greater concern. >> i watched his younger brothers and cousins follow him down the path of drug addiction.

his basement, his garage, his dorm room were always the center of the action, where drugs were available and he enjoyed showing off how he put baby chickens and mice in a blender to feed to his hawks. >> reporter: she called it a perverse scene of despair and violence. >> siblings and cousins who bobby encouraged down the path of substance abuse suffered addiction, illness, and death. while bobby has gone on to misrepresent, lie, and cheat his way through life. >> reporter: she said her cousin is addicted to attention and power. >> bobby preys on the desperation of parents of sick children, vaccinating his own kids while building a following hypocritically discouraging other parents from vaccinating theirs. >> reporter: caroline kennedy, who has been reluctant to speak out about her cousin, insists he is distorting her father's legacy. >> bobby continues to grandstand off my father's assassination, and that of his own father.

it's incomprehensible to me that someone who is willing to exploit their own painful family tragedies for publicity would be put in charge of america's life and death situations. >> reporter: late tonight, i caught up with robert kennedy jr. as he made the rounds on capitol hill. >> any response to any of those allegations from your cousin saying that you're not fit to serve? >> reporter: he would not answer. and david, it is highly unusual for caroline kennedy to speak out like this, but she's doing it at a time where she could have significant impact. tomorrow, the senate confirmation hearings begin for robert f. kennedy jr. and he will have the opportunity to address those allegations himself, david. >> david: rachel scott live on the hill again tonight. rachel, thank you. we turn now to the harrowing images coming in from south korea tonight. smoke filling the cabin of a passenger plane just before takeoff. 176 passengers and crew racing to escape the burning plane. here's our chief foreign correspondent ian pannell now. >> reporter: terrifying moments tonight as this packed passenger plane catches fire on the tarmac before takeoff.

the blaze stretching across the airbus operated by south korean carrier air busan. security footage showing smoke rising. fire crews desperately trying to douse the flames. 169 passengers and seven crew evacuated just as smoke starts to fill the cabin. officials believe the fire began in the tail. miraculously, only three people suffering minor injuries. this, just a month after the deadliest aviation disaster in south korea when a jeju air boeing 737 landed on its belly before skidding into a wall and bursting into flames, killing 179. david, the cause of this latest incident is now under investigation, but this was another budget airline, and they've been told to tighten their safety measures. david? >> david: ian pannell with us from london. ian, thank you. back here in the u.s. now, and to those mysterious drones over the northeast. well tonight here, a new explanation from the white house. here's gio benitez. >> reporter: for weeks, those mysterious drone sightings spread panic and fear, closed an

airport, and raised concerns about aviation safety, but tonight, the white house saying those drones were authorized by the faa. >> after research and study, the drones that were flying over new jersey in large numbers were authorized to be flown by the faa for research and various other reasons. >> reporter: at the time, the faa was saying they were lawful commercial drones, but with the nation asking questions, some even calling to shoot them down, the faa did not explicitly say they were research drones. it's unclear when the faa learned that they were. white house press secretary karoline leavitt today reading a statement from president trump, adding, some of the drones also belongs to hobbyists and private individuals, but insisting they were not nefarious. >> in time, it got worse due to curiosity. this was not the enemy. >> reporter: and david, tonight neither the faa, nor the white house, have said what kind of research those drones were being used for. david? >> david: gio back on this tonight, thank you. tonight, the new images, the surveillance.

does it offer a major new clue into what might have started california's deadly eaton fire? you're going to see the surveillance video appearing to show small sparks coming from power lines. tonight, the utility now responding. here's trevor ault. >> reporter: tonight in southern california, new possible clues as to what may have sparked the eaton fire that ravaged altadena, destroying more than 9,000 structures and killing at least 17 people. lawyers for an altadena resident now suing southern california edison, pointing to this gas station surveillance video that they believe shows sparks from a so cal edison power line. watch closely, and you can see the flash. ten minutes later, that same camera showing the fire spreading fast. >> this equipment, we believe, it shows the arcing and a fire blazing just minutes afterward. >> reporter: that video timestamped at 6:11 p.m. january 7th. multiple residents have shared videos with abc news from around the same time.

so cal edison denies their power lines at that transmission tower were faulty. in a filing to state regulators monday the power company did report around that same time four of their power lines did see a momentary and expected increase in current. but they say that incident happened on lines at least five miles away from the suspected start of the fire. >> what we did is a deeper dive and we found some distant lines that did have some faults, but they don't serve the canyon. >> reporter: and david, a judge has ordered so cal edison preserve all evidence related to this lawsuit, and that includes those power lines alleged to have sparked this fire, david. >> david: trevor ault in altadena, and of course, we're going to stay on these investigations into what caused these fires. trevor, thank you. when we come back here, the alarming outbreak in the u.s. one of the biggest tuberculosis outbreaks in history. the toll so far. and what they're seeing. and then this powerful storm moving right across the country tonight moving into the northeast. and look at this, all right tonight damaging winds. the collapse of a home under construction outside boston. multiple injuries have been reported.

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finally tonight here, moving the mona lisa? tonight, the mona lisa, perhaps the most famous painting in the world, and her future. the masterpiece by leonardo da vinci, painted in the early 1500s, one of the most famous attractions in paris at the louvre. >> the first public appearance of mona lisa. >> david: few remember the painting traveled to the u.s. in 1962, when jfk was president. >> we in the united states are grateful for this loan. >> david: at the national gallery of art. >> nearly 10,000 people filed by mona lisa the first day. >> david: tonight, amid word of deteriorating conditions inside the louvre, there is talk by

some in italy that the mona lisa should be brought there. it all started with an internal memo from the louvre's president, leaked to a french newspaper, concerned about the conditions at the centuries-old museum. some italian authorities then calling on the mona lisa to be brought to italy, saying, "we are ready to host the mona lisa." but today, french president emmanuel macron with a different plan. going before cameras right in front of the mona lisa, announcing a massive renovation and a new entrance inside the louvre to a new home, just for the mona lisa, saying visitors will need a special ticket, and that the mona lisa will be in a, quote, special place that will be quieter. he says this is what the mona lisa deserves. the renovation expected to be completed by 2031. the french president hoping to stop the talk of any move for the mona lisa. making it clear, he wants the mona lisa to stay right there at the louvre in paris. i'm david muir. thanks for watching. i'll see you right back here tomorrow night. good night.

the hotel in oakland's jack london square. closing. it means losing more than a place for visitors to sleep. >> a last minute funding freeze said to terrify thousands of nonprofits. i'm zach fuentes coming up, reaction from those organizations and a look at the memo that called for that freeze. >> i'm meteorologist sandhya patel. fog and a chill will start off your morning. i'll show you when wet weather is back in the forecast coming up.

>> always live. abc seven news starts right now. >> and new at six. a bad crash in oakland that sent people to the hospital involving multiple vehicles and an ac transit bus. i mean, look at this damage. ac transit says a number 73 bus was turning from hegenberger road onto san leandro street near the coliseum bart station when thehe crash happened. it was around 330. a speeding white acura suv hit a gray honda, which caused a chain reaction involving other cars and the bus. several people were taken away by ambulances, including one patient in handcuffs. one bus passenger was taken to the hospital with a cut lip. the bus driver was okay. several oakland police officers and vehicles were on scene as well, along with the alameda county sheriff's office and oakland fire department. we are working to find out more about the circumstances of this crash. good evening, i'm ahmad. >> and i'm julian glover. we'll stick with the developing news happening in the east bay. alameda county is going to choose its next district attorney tonight. there are